The Greek side will receive today, March 24, the delegation of the French Ministry of Defense for the signing of the agreement for the Belh@rra (FDI) frigates and a Rafale fighter aircraft on the deck of the battleship “Averof” in Marina Floisvou.
The contracts are about the acquisition of 3+1 state-of-the-art FDI frigates by our Navy and the 6 additional Rafale that were added to the initial order of the 18 aircraft for the Hellenic Air Force.
The singing will take place in front of two really big models of an FDI frigate and a Rafale. Especially as far as the Rafale model is concerned, it will dominate the space on the deck, since according to information, its size scale is 1:8 in relation to the real one!
The signing of the two contracts, which consist of several separate agreements, will be done from the Greek side by the Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikos Panagiotopoulos and from the French counterpart from France Mr. Florence Parly.
The full integration of the new Greek acquisitions in the Hellenic arsenal is estimated to create new data in the balance of power in the Aegean.
14th century lead sarcophagus unearthed at Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral (photo)
In their statements, the two ministers are expected to confirm the close Greek-French strategic relationship in the defense sector, while they will also refer to the possibilities that exist for its further development and expansion.
Indicative of the importance that the French attach to their visit to Greece today, but also to the size of the two agreements for their defense industry, is the fact that their delegation consists of 14 high-ranking officials of the French Ministry of Defense and some top company executives.
According to the Hellenic MoD circles, the fact that the signing of the contracts takes place just one day before March 25, the Greek Independence Day, in combination with the choice of the Battleship Averof, -the ship that was a catalyst for Greek maritime dominance in the Balkans wars of 1912-13 against the Ottoman Turks- as a venue for the relevant ceremony, gives an important symbolism to the whole process, sending clear messages.
